Woodley, who played the headstrong teenage daughter of George Clooney in "The Descendants," lavished special praise on Clooney and director Alexander Payne.

She labelled Clooney "the head of all happiness," and credited him for urging her to "look beyond the bubbles we associate with ourselves everyday."

Woodley, heretofore best known for starring in the TV series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," would emerge as the lone Spirit winner among the actors who would not be competing for an Oscar Sunday. Not that that seemed to bother her all that much.

"I am so stoked for Octavia," she said, referring to Oscar favorite Octavia Spencer of "The Help." The almost surefire winner, she said, "is such a "nice human being."